Your 5 1/4-year-old: Mad scientists

Your 5-year-old now

Kitchen science is a fun way to help your child pass the time instead of sitting in front of a screen – and she might learn something, too! A few fun projects:

Color fun: Set a stalk of celery with leaves or some white daisies in a glass of water. Add a few drops of food coloring. Ask your child what she thinks might happen. Wait a few hours and check back. (The celery or white petals will absorb the dye and change color.)

Magnetic attraction: Give your child a large magnet (available at many toy stores and hardware stores). Let her roam through the utensil drawer guessing which items the magnet will pick up. What does she think they have in common?

Whip it up: Crack a raw egg into a mixing bowl and set the beater on high. What happens after 30 seconds? One minute? Two minutes? Explain how ingredients can change shape when they are beaten, mixed, or cooked. A variation: Have your child measure two teaspoons of cinnamon and two tablespoons of sugar. Put them both into a plastic container and cover with a secure lid. What will happen? Show her how the two different colors seem to mix evenly together. (And then sprinkle some on toast, yum!)

Your life now

Sounds corny, but you still have a year or so left to use two of the most popular tactics parents employ to communicate with one another without their young child understanding them. Spelling things out still works if your child isn't a proficient reader yet. And then there's Pig Latin, which most kids won't quite be able to decode for another year or two.